Eight municipalities in northeastern Ontario are currently under a state of emergency due to severe spring flooding. From the largest city in the region to rural townships on Manitoulin Island, rising floodwaters have put communities on high alert. “We went from snow to now flooding, so just a huge thanks to our crews who have been working extremely hard through all of this,” said Elizabeth Henning, West Nipissing’s director of infrastructure, during a council meeting this week. “I think they’re doing a good job of keeping those roads … open where they can.” In addition to West Nipissing, a state of emergency is in effect in Billings Township, Central Manitoulin Township, Chisholm Township, Municipality of French River, Gordon/Barrie Island Township, Greater Sudbury and Tehkummah Township. The one in Assiginack Township was lifted Tuesday after public works crews repaired roads washed out by flooding. The affected communities are working with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, a division of the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response, led by Minister Jill Dunlop. Ricardo Fartura, her press secretary, said in an email to CTV News that the ministry is responding to flooding in several parts of the province. That response includes “providing a range of supports, including flood barriers, sandbags and sandbagging equipment.” In addition, he said they “have deployed Ontario Corps partners and volunteers to support flood mitigation and evacuation centres in affected communities.” Relief from the spring flooding is still a way off. West Nipissing CAO Mike Pilon said at the meeting this week that there’s a lot of snow up north that will be melting soon. “They have a lot of water -- a lot more coming through the area that will necessarily have to come through, just based on the historical piece on our watershed,” Pilon said. The Canadian Red Cross is on standby if there’s a need for evacuations, but will only show up when invited. “There can be a wide variety of things, from registration, transportation, lodging, but it all depends on what the ask is of the Canadian Red Cross,” said Christopher Allsop, senior manager of emergency management. “So, it’s more of a working with that community and finding out what their needs are and supporting them where we can.” The Red Cross said it’s currently supporting people evacuated from the Moose Cree First Nation due to increasing flood risks, at the request of the community and through an agreement with Indigenous Services Canada. The support includes transportation, registration and support at a transportation hub in Moosonee. At the request of the City of Orillia, the Red Cross is providing temporary accommodations and personal items for families impacted by the flooding. If evacuations became necessary, Allsop said residents should leave immediately, and not wait for conditions to worsen. To support flood efforts in Greater Sudbury, the ministry is providing 30,000 sandbags and one sandbagging machine, along with personnel from Ontario Corps partner Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association. “The ministry is working with the community and assessing what additional supports may be required,” sources told CTV News. “At the request of the Municipality of French River, the ministry provided 2,000 sandbags and deployed Ontario Corps partner OSARVA to assist with filling and placing the sandbags.” Flood barrier equipment is being delivered to Mattawa, and the ministry is ready to provide assistance to West Nipissing once a request is received.
